Within the province of Babylon, in the plain of Dura, King Nebuchadnezzar had constructed a colossal golden image that he demanded all people fall down and worship when they heard the call of the appropriate music, just like so many Pavlov’s dogs. He had gathered together “the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces” to dedicate this image that he had set up (Daniel 3:3). It was announced that all those who would not fall down and worship this image were to be cast into a burning fiery furnace (Daniel 3:6).

Besides Daniel, amongst the Hebrews taken into captivity were three men full of wisdom and understanding named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, better known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 1:6,7,20). Like Daniel, who would not desist from worshiping Jehovah, not even for thirty days and not even under penalty of death (Dan. 6), they would not fall down and worship the man-made idol, knowing all the while the penalty for their actions was death in the burning fiery furnace.

There were then, just as there are now, enemies of the One True God and of those who worship Him. Those accusers brought the brave Hebrew men to the attention of the king and he subsequently offered these men of God one final chance to lose their faith and their integrity. Their answer was not something they had to think over nor did they couch their answer in the veiled and shadowy language of weasel-speak to conceal their faith (Dan. 3:16). In effect they said: “Our God is able to deliver us and He will deliver us if it is His will. But if not, we will never, ever serve your false gods or this image you have made” (Dan. 3:17,18).

This bold, uncompromising answer stoked the furnace of Nebuchadnezzar’s anger and he commanded the fiery furnace be stoked seven times as hot as normal, like his own temper. He had Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah bound by the most mighty men that were in his army and had them cast into the fiery furnace. The flame of the furnace was so hot, the men that were casting them down into the furnace were themselves consumed by the heat (Dan. 3:22).

To Nebuchadnezzar’s amazement he saw those three men walking in the midst of the fire unharmed! But he also saw something more, a fourth figure walking with them. But this figure gave every appearance of being more than a man, “the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” reads the inspired Record (Dan. 3:25). Some say Nebuchadnezzar could not possibly have had knowledge of the Son of God, but if Balaam’s ass could be made to speak the truth, so could this pagan king. What better time for God to show His watch care over His people than when these three young Hebrews manifested so bravely their faith in their God at such a bleak period in the history of God’s people.

And when, after these three godly men emerged from the fire with not so much as a hair of their heads singed or even the smell of sulphur emanating from their flesh, he decreed “that every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill” (Dan. 3:29). The reason that he gave for this is “because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort” (v.29).

Oh, what lessons of faith may be learned from these three young men. They did not compromise the truth of God, not even to save their lives much less for fleeting popularity among the heathen peoples, as so many try to water down the truth of God’s word today.

They did not hide their faith but manifested it openly by their speech and their actions while so many today can scarcely be convicted of being a follower of Christ by either their speech or their actions or lifestyle or character.

They trusted that God was able to deliver them if it was His will but if it was not they would never allow themselves to do that which was against Him. In contrast to such commitment, to day too many are willing at the first sign of trouble or inconvenience to stray from the straight and narrow path of God’s word to the world’s broader path of easy acceptance.

We need more men in the Lord’s church with the same spirit of faith. They knew that ultimately God would see them prevail because, in the words of the king, “there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.”

Eric L. Padgett